Tower Hamlets Council green lights Whitechapel life sciences cluster

Published: 15-Oct-2024

Tower Hamlets has approved plans for a new world-class life sciences cluster to be built in Whitechapel

Several vacant buildings and plots next to the Royal London Hospital will be redeveloped and brought back into use.

Members of the Strategic Development Committee approved the application at a meeting in early October. 

Several planning conditions were set out, including that the site will provide space for education and health activities and an outreach programme for local schools and colleges.

Five buildings will be constructed, and one existing building will be retained, creating nearly 70,000 sqm of floor space for life sciences use

Financial contributions totalling £6.9m have also been agreed, including £2.5m towards community health and wellbeing projects and programmes and £1.7m towards employment skills and training initiatives.

In addition to the built development, there will be improvements to the streets around the site to make them more pedestrian and cycle-friendly.

The application will now be referred to the Mayor of London before a final decision is issued.

The redevelopment 

Five buildings will be constructed, and one existing building will be retained, creating nearly 70,000 sqm of floor space for life sciences use.

The redevelopment will also include spaces that can be used by the community and local schools to promote career opportunities in life sciences, as well as a café, public toilets, and landscaped open space.

The development is part of the ongoing regeneration of Whitechapel and is expected to create employment and training opportunities and the potential for up to 4,180 full-time jobs.

The application will now be referred to the Mayor of London before a final decision is issued

Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said: "This is a boost for Whitechapel and the latest in a series of developments in the area that is putting Whitechapel on the map as a go-to area of London.

"The development will benefit local people now, with the creation of jobs opportunities, but it will also be a boost for the future.

"If our young people can see a world-class facility on their doorstep, it will help inspire our next generation of scientific talent."

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